Partner Ecosystem

Owner: Partner Team / Adoption Architect

Partnership Strategy Overview

Five partnership categories are critical to scaling Apps adoption:

flowchart LR
    subgraph Partners["APPS PARTNERSHIP ECOSYSTEM"]
        FE["INTERNAL<br/>FE Teams"]
        ISV["ISVs<br/>IDE + AI"]
        SI["System<br/>Integrators"]
        IL["GTM Industry<br/>Leads"]
        PS["Professional<br/>Services"]
    end
    
    FE --> Signal["Signal Capture"]
    ISV --> DevExp["Developer Experience"]
    SI --> Delivery["Solution Delivery"]
    IL --> Vertical["Vertical Alignment"]
    PS --> Deep["Deep Implementation"]

Partner Type 1: Internal FE Teams

Role

Field Engineering teams (especially EPLs) serve as the front line for:

• Signal capture from customer conversations
• Pattern identification across accounts
• Early warning on adoption blockers
• Feedback loop to Product and Adoption Architect

Current State

Actions Needed

Partner Type 2: ISVs (Independent Software Vendors)

Strategic Goal

Win developer mindshare by making Databricks the preferred platform for data-intensive application development.

IDE Experiences (Critical for Quantity Motion)

Strategic Play: Coding agents should easily integrate with Databricks and understand its services → Create an opinionated, data-oriented IDE experience.

Link to Quantity Motion:

• IDE experience is critical for Digital Native customers
• Developer mindshare governs adoption in tech-forward accounts
• Many lightweight apps require frictionless creation experience

AI/ML ISVs

Actions Needed

Partner Type 3: System Integrators (SIs)

Strategic Goal

Partner with SIs who lead with an App-first GTM motion to scale solution delivery.

Ideal SI Partner Profile

Competitive Dynamic: Palantir’s FDE Motion

Palantir’s Advantage:

• Deploys engineers directly with customers
• Creates deep, solution-oriented relationships
• Expensive but effective for land-and-expand

Counter-Strategy via SI Partners:

• SIs can provide FDE-like engagement
• More scalable than internal FDE build-out
• Leverage SI industry expertise
• Lower cost than Palantir’s model

ISV + SI Complementary Model

ISVs and SIs scale adoption differently but work together as a complementary motion:

flowchart LR
    subgraph Build["PHASE: BUILD"]
        ISV["ISV (e.g., Replit)<br/>• Dev speed<br/>• Platform integration<br/>• Rapid prototyping"]
    end
    
    subgraph Deploy["PHASE: DEPLOY/OPERATE"]
        SI["SI<br/>• Delivery<br/>• Infrastructure<br/>• Prod readiness"]
    end
    
    ISV --> |"Handoff"| SI
    
    Build --> Quantity["Quantity Motion"]
    Deploy --> Quality["Quality Motion"]

Actions Needed

Partner Type 4: GTM Industry Leads

Strategic Goal

Align with GTM Industry Leads to identify key Apps use cases by vertical and drive industry-specific adoption momentum.

Why Industry Leads Matter

• FE doesn’t see Apps opportunities without vertical context
• Use cases vary significantly by industry
• Industry leads control event presence, EBC content, field priorities
• Execs need industry-relevant “I want that!” moments

Industry Lead Alignment Matrix

Industry Lead Responsibilities

Actions Needed

Partner Type 5: Professional Services (Internal)

Strategic Goal

Engage Professional Services to enable deep implementations for business outcome-oriented customers (Quality motion).

Why PS Matters for Apps

When to Engage PS

PS Engagement Model

Actions Needed

Partnership Prioritization Matrix

Partnership Success Metrics

Last Updated: January 2026